1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning card for a card printer working by thermal transfer, provided with a work station at which the cards are electrically customized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known card-printing machines, notably for plastic cards, implementing the technology of thermal transfer in which the primary color inks, deposited on a plastic ribbon, are successively fixed to the printing medium by a thermal printer head.
These card printers, for black-and-white or color printing, with printing either on the card-face alone or on both card-face and card-back, after turning over the card or simultaneously on both faces, have been described in French patent applications filed by the present Applicant.
In these machines, the card to be printed, which is generally in accordance with the ISO 7816-2 standard, is always supplied, conveyed, turned over if necessary, transferred from one station to another by a set of drive rollers that push or pull the card beneath the thermal printer head or heads, as well as inside the device for the electrical customization of the cards. This electrical customization consists of a marking, which is electrical or magnetic, by means of a landing contact, at locations defined by AFNOR and ISO standards.
The operation of these machines for the printing and electrical customizing of the cards causes a movement of dust attracted by the phenomenon of static electricity prompted by friction between the plastic cards, the plastic ribbon and various rollers.
The technology of thermal transfer may also prompt deposits of ink spots on the cards, particularly when there is clinging between the card and the ribbon which are softened by a rise in temperature, said spots soiling the various external and internal conveying rollers.
The landing contacts of the electrical customization station also tend to get soiled since the card-marking regions are also subjected to dust attracted by the static electricity of the friction and are vulnerable to ink spots. This soiling may result in poor contacts and may even insulate the position to be marked electrically.